Queens 2024 Tv Series Review Trailer

The shots are unreal. We fly behind and next to a bee in the jungle. We see lust on the face of a young bonobo. We see lions and hyenas fight over a carcass in the middle of the night. National Geographic's “Queens” offers nature documentary products, and as I watched it, I couldn't help but wonder how they captured so many stunning images.

Fortunately, the seven-part series ends with a behind-the-scenes look at the series narrated and executive produced by Angela Bassett. In it, we learn that women directed every episode of “Queens,” capturing footage over four years. The production brought together experienced filmmakers with their up-and-coming peers, recruiting directors in the countries in which they filmed.

Star: Angela Bassett

The result is an intimate portrait of creatures of different sizes, from ants to elephants. We learn about their social structures, family bonds, mating habits, gender dynamics, and more.

As such, “Queens” hits all the usual beats of its genre. Climate change is threatening the very existence of these unique and captivating animals. The same goes for development that is reducing their habitats. And, of course, the natural world is unforgiving, if not cruel. Aside from the handful of animals that are eaten, we see many species kill their own, usually with a male destroying a rival's offspring, despite the mother's best efforts to stop him. Lions, bears, orcas, monkeys all do this, and the bee and hyena matriarchs participate in infanticide. It's a reminder that humans aren't the only ones who kill our own kind.

The show doesn't come to that particular conclusion, but it seems to imply that animal mothers offer us meaningful models of female leadership, and that idea doesn't work. The matriarchal societies of the selected animals are not “new” as the opening monologue insists. Elephants and the rest have been guided by the female of their species since time immemorial.

Furthermore, these females do not offer a kinder or different leadership model than species with male leaders. We literally see a hyena kill a cub, her niece no less, in her attempt to take leadership of the pack! Animals can be ruthless, whether they are female or not. The only possible exception here is the bonobos. “Queens” points out that they are the least violent and most playful primates, and the only ones led by females. They also don't have to fight for food, as they live in a jungle where there is enough for everyone. But the show doesn't investigate what came first: her peaceful way of life, her female leadership, or her relative prosperity.

Instead, “Queens” is more interested in amplifying the drama in ways that please a feminist and feminine sensibility. For example, the show features a variety of over-the-top musical cues that made me laugh instead of "Queens." Do we need countless songs that riff on the word “queens” and apply our pop culture understanding of that word (and “mother” in Gen Z's cool sense) to become fascinated by the natural world? No we will not. Plus, including tracks like a remake of Destiny Child's “Survivor” as a wolf learns to survive without his pack is so on-the-nose it's silly.

“Queens” also imposes human value judgments on its animal subjects in a way that seems disingenuous. Would it be terrible if a human mother ate her daughter's eggs and replaced them with her own? Yes, although it's hard to imagine how she would work. But is it morally wrong for a queen bee to do so? I'm not so sure. Also, ripping off a limb to survive is a big deal when you're a homo sapiens, but maybe when you're a queen ant, it's just part of life.

I know they need to build story arcs from years of material, but putting tense or upbeat music behind the footage and pairing it with a silly script, which Basset does the best he can, isn't enough. It would have been better to present some of the animals' customs as biological curiosities or fascinating animal behaviors rather than morality plays.

Still, it's worth remembering that science has largely ignored the female of the species, and that has real-world effects, particularly in medicine. Therefore, there is value in this project's focus on females, and its focus on recruiting female directors, and local ones at that, further underlines this point.

Watch Queens 2024 Tv Series Trailer